Category Archives: Culture & Society

The Rich Continue To Get Richer, The Lower 93% Struggle On

  By Pamela Leavey | April 23, 2013 10:42 pm - 10:42 pm | , , , , ,
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If you are like me, you’re among the lower 93% still waiting for a break from the long recession/depression that we still haven’t recovered from. According to an analysis by Pew Research Center of newly released Census Bureau data, “During the first two years of the nation’s economic recovery, the mean net worth of households in the upper 7% of the wealth distribution rose by an estimated 28%, while the mean net worth of households in the lower 93% dropped by 4%.” Honestly this is no surprise, it’s been a long shaky ride for most of America. The struggling class is still held down by the upper 7%. Time to turn that around, don’t you think?

Kim Jong-un’s Bond Girls

  By Pamela Leavey | April 12, 2013 5:51 pm - 5:51 pm | , , , , , , ,
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As tensions increase with North Korea, one can’t help but wonder what is up with the women in Kim Jong-un’s military strutting around in 4 inch heels: Is it just me or do these women look like Kim Jong-un’s Bond Girls? It seems I’m not the only one wondering about this photo, Maureen O’Connor at NY Mag said: Among the many mysteries associated with North Korea’s military, “Why are they wearing high heels?” is perhaps the least important of all. But it’s still so mysterious: How much time do these women spend marching in heels? Do they have special techniques for dealing with blisters? Are their platform heels standard-issue? (The woman in the middle appears to be wearing a different … Continue reading →

Look for the Union Bunny

  By Walter Brasch | March 31, 2013 1:53 pm - 1:53 pm | , , ,
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Bullied, harassed, and lied to, District 1 of the Amalgamated Association of Easter Bunnies, AFB-CIO (American Federation of Bunnies–Cottontails International Organization) went on strike, forcing a halt to this year’s Easter egg hunts. At Bunny Headquarters, Solomon P. Bunny, union executive secretary, and a militant corps of Easter bunnies were preparing picket signs. I walked in, notepad in hand. “Excuse me, Mr. Bunny, but why aren’t your members delivering eggs this week?” Bunny looked up from the papers on his desk, chomped harder on his cigar, looked at me, scowled, and answered harshly, “Don’t you know!?” “No, sir,” I replied apologetically. “I always thought you were happy and content passing out your Easter eggs.” “We love it,” growled Bunny, “but … Continue reading →

No Merit Badge for Courage for Boy Scouts

  By Walter Brasch | March 29, 2013 8:03 am - 8:03 am | , , , ,
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by WALTER BRASCH   Sometime in May, the Boy Scouts of America will decide whether they will allow gays to be members, volunteer leaders, or be employed on the professional staff. The decision may have more to do with funding than with any other policy. Contributions from individuals, major corporations, and at least 50 United Way agencies stopped because of the Scouts’ anti-gay policy. Among corporations that have not made annual six-figure donations are Intel, Merck, CVS, Chase Manhattan Bank, Verizon, Google, UPS, and Levi Straus. Stephen Spielberg, an Eagle Scout, in protest of the policy against gays dropped off the national advisory council. The national council was also losing funds because of a drop of about 22 percent in … Continue reading →

America’s Culture is Signing on the Dotted Line

  By Walter Brasch | March 3, 2013 7:12 am - 7:12 am | , , ,
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by Walter Brasch The signing season has begun. Look through your local newspaper for the next few weeks, and you’ll see a lot of posed pictures of high school athletes. Everyone will be at a desk or table. Around each one will be their parents and their coach. In some cases, add in an athletic director, a principal, and someone representing a college the young athlete is planning to attend. It makes no difference if it’s a Division I or Division II school; sometimes it’s even a Division III school. Star athletes at the end of their high school careers get photos and applause. They can even get special financial aid and scholarships just for being able to play a … Continue reading →

The No News News Media

  By Walter Brasch | January 27, 2013 9:53 am - 9:53 am | , , , , , , , , ,
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There was a lot of news this past week. Some of it was even reported by the news media. First, there was a football player from Notre Dame who either did or didn’t know that his girlfriend was or wasn’t real, but died sometime during the season. Six column headlines for several days announced the fraud. Network news and talk show hosts rehashed it almost daily. Two weeks ago, Lance Armstrong admitted he was a dope. Or maybe he just took dope. The news media kept sending urgent flashes all week of what he was going to tell Oprah. And then he told Oprah, and now we’ll be reading stories about it until Schwinn adds a jet engine to a … Continue reading →